AFG vs UGA: Afghanistan under pressure due to 'favorites for semi-finals' tag? Rashid Khan makes huge revelation

Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan talked about the team’s plan for the T20 World Cup 2024. He said that they want to take one game at a time even though many have predicted his side to make it into the semi-final of the tournament.

The growth of Afghanistan cricket is something that is cherished by many cricket lovers. With the way they have grown in stature, it’s one of the most remarkable stories in the world of cricket. From being considered minions to one of the most impactful teams, they have shown huge signs of improvement.

Coming into the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, Afghanistan will be one of the hot favorites to win the tournament. This is because the pitches in the USA and the Caribbean favour their style of play and it won’t be a surprise if they beat some big teams in the events.

With slow pitches being there in the USA and Carribean, the Afghanistan spinners would be lethal on those surfaces. They have one of the best bowling lineups in the tournament and there have been many experts who have even backed them to reach the semifinal of the tournament.

Rashid Khan talked about how the Afghanistan team have grown from being the team that struggled to qualify to being one of the favorites for the semi-final. He said that they look to him as a positive and added that there’s a lot of belief in the team, especially after their performances in the World Cup 2023. Speaking to ICC, he explained:

“They have mentioned Afghanistan is going to be there for semis. We take that as a very positive sign. Before, it used to be (that) Afghanistan even contribution was hard for us to get qualified. And now to be (in the) nomination, to be there in the top four, I think it's big for us. But for us, we don't look at those things a lot. It's all about how we're going to be there in the ground, delivering.

“We were very near in the last World Cup as well to be in the semis. We were just one game away from being in the semis and that's where I feel like the belief started that nothing is impossible for us as a team. So yeah, looking forward we are excited about this World Cup. We take one game at a time and then see how it goes.”

We're just about focusing on one game at a time - Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan also talked about the Afghanistan’s preparations for the World Cup. He admitted that they are fully prepared for the tournament. But they don’t want to look far ahead as they just want to take one game at a time. He added:

“I think preparation has been great so far. The way the guys have been prepared, and they had that preparation back home in Afghanistan. A couple of weeks back, we had a domestic T20 competition, which really helped them to get that kind of preparation they need as a player and as a team. And then we're here two weeks earlier as well. So, we got that full preparation, what we wanted as a team.

“We're just about focusing on one game at a time and making sure we do the right things and take the right decisions at the right time. That's something I think is going to help us. “And don't think about the next round a lot. That's something which is an extra pressure I feel like to be as a player.”

Afghanistan will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Uganda in Guyana. The match will take place on 4th June.